It may not be so simple. Jenkins played in two other games this month while Manningham sat out with a shoulder injury. Jenkins didn’t see a pass come his way in either game.

Sure, it’s romantic to think the first-round draft pick will rise to the occassion and play hero. But, once the 49ers get past the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s regular-season finale, how realistic is it to think Jenkins will become a go-to guy in the playoffs?

The thing is, Jenkins doesn’t need to be a go-to guy. Michael Crabtree owns that role. Randy Moss appears to be a trusted option in Colin Kaepernick’s eyes. Tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker also are valuable targets, assuming Davis’ concussion Sunday isn’t too serious even though it will keep Davis out of action today.

Harbaugh indicated they may promote a wide receiver from the practice squad. Ricardo Lockette knows this system and looks more enticing better than Chad Hall. But Hall is more versatile and can help on special teams. Either way, we’re talking about practice-squad backups here and it’s time to move on to other items:

— Defensive tackle Justin Smith continues to rehabilitate his Dec. 16 left-elbow injury, Harbaugh said, without elaborating on whether Smith will be available for the playoffs. He’s not expected to rush back to face the Cardinals.

— Kaepernick likely earned another A++ in Harbaugh’s book of Tell The Media Nothing.

“Have to get the win this week,” Kaepernick said a couple times in answering questions.

Kaepernick blamed communication issues, including Seattle’s crowd noise, for the first-half breakdowns that resulted in two delay-of-game penalties and two timeouts.

— Frank Gore is 65 yards from matching last season’s rushing total of 1,211 yards that earned him a Pro Bowl invitation.

Gore said he feels stronger and fresher than he did a year ago at this time. He said he’s also had to learn how to become more patient in the 49ers’ offense when Kaepernick is running read-option plays.

“You just don’t know if Kap is going to keep it or not,” Gore said. “You’ve got to be patient, and you can’t hit the hole that fast in the pistol.”

Let’s hope Jenkins can handle the supporting role
But, Kap seems to focus on Crabs a litle too much
Vernon Davis didn’t get many passes his way when healthy
Neither did Manningham or Moss
The game plan is gonna have to include all the receivers

I’d LOVE to see passes to Gore and LaMichael James 3 or 4 yards Down the field
Spread the ball around